Burial-casket.



No. 840,077.' 7 PATENTED JAN. 1, 1907. J. MAXWELL.

BURIAL GASKET.

APPLICATION FILED 1111117, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN MAXWELL, OF ONEIDA, -NEW YORK.

BURlAL-CASKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

Application filed Iuly17, 1906. Serial No. 326,624.

' with the accompanying drawings, is a full,

clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to. certain improvements in sheet-metal burial-caskets, and refers more particularly to the means for clamping the lid to the box for forming a watertight oint.

One of the objects is to providemeans for readily alining the lid with the top of the box and for preventing accidental lateral dis placement of the fastening members when clamped in operative position.

Another object is to interpose a tubular gasket between the lid and marginal flange of the box and to pass suitable fastening means through the tubular gasket whereby it may be fastened in place.

Other objects and uses will appear in the following description. I v

. Inthe drawings, Figure 1 is atop plan of a portion of my improved burial-casket, part of the lid being broken away to show the-underlying parts, one of the clamping members being shown in operative position and another clamping member being shown as swung outwardlyto its inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is' a transverse sectional view taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1, showing both clamping members in operative position to camp the lid upon the box. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3, Fig. 2, showing the means for fastening the gasket in place. Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a portion of one side of the box and lid, showing the clamping member as thrown outwardly to release the lid. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the detached elements.

In demonstrating the practicability of my invention 1 have shown a portion of a sheetmetal box 1, having a removable sheet-metal lid 2, which is held in place by a series of clamping devices, each consisting of a horizontally-swinging bracket 3 and a verticallyswinging cam-lever 4. The sheet-metal box 1 has the upper edges of its sides and ends bent downwardly at the outside of the main body and then horizontally and returned upon itself with its extreme edge bent upwardly between the downturned portion-and main body, as best seen in Fig. 2. The

downturned portion, as 5, is spaced apart from the main body the thickness of the metal and forms a marginal flange which is surrounded by a tubular rubber gasket 6, which rests upon a horizontal ledge 7, formed by the outturned edges of the sides and ends of the box, the extreme edge, as 8, of the returned portion of the ledges 7 being interposed between the downturned portion 5 and "main body to additionally stiffen the ledge 7.

A wire 9 is passed through the whole or a portion of the gasket 6 to retain said gasket in place around the flange 5, and the ends of said wire are passed through one or more apertures 1 1 in the flange 7 to additionally hold the gasket in place, the extremities of said ends being clenched or bent against the under side of the flange 7, as best seen in Fig. 3.

The clamping devices for holding the lid in place are similar to those shown and described in my pending application, Serial No. 293,777, filed December 29, 1905, except that in the present application the bracket 3 is formed with a longitudinal groove 12, alined withand adapted to receive the lower edge of a depending flange 13, running along the marginal edges of the lid 2. This bracket preferably consists of a horizontalportion 14 and an upright portion 15, the horizontal portion being provided at one end with a stud 16, which is insertedthrough an aperture 17 in the flange 7, to which it is riveted, said stud forming a pivot upon which the bracket may swing horizontally. The up right portion 15 is formed integral with the horizontal portion 14 at the end opposite to the pivot 16 and is offset laterally from said pivot a distance slightly greater than the distance between the aperture 17 and outer face of the flange 13 of the lid 2, said upright portion extending upwardly at the outside of and some distance above the lid and is formed with a laterally-projecting boss 20 and pivotal stud 21, both of which overhang the adjacent portion of the lid 2 when the clamping device is in its operative position, as shown in Fig. 2. The lever 4 is pivoted upon the stud 21 and is provided with a cam-face 22 for engaging the upper face of the lid, so that when the lever is rocked to the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the ledge 7, gasket 6, and lid 2 are clamped between the horizontal portion 14 of the bracket 3 and cam-face 22 of the lever 4, thereby compressing the gasket 6 and forcing the lower edge of the flange 13 into the groove 12 below the plane of the flange 7 to prevent accidental lateral displacement of the clamping device. In other words, when the lid is clamped upon the box the lower edge of the flange 13 is forced into the groove 12 and prevents the lateral swinging of the bracket 3 upon its pivot 16.

The distance between the axis of the pivotal pin 16 and inner edge of the upright portion '15 is substantially equal to but slightly greater than the distance between said axis and outer face of the flange 13, so that when the bracket 3 is swung outwardly upon its pivot 16, as best seen in Fig. 4, the inner edges of the upright portions 15 form abutments for engaging the outer edges of the lid and centering said lid upon the box.

The normal vertical thickness of the gasket 6 is slightly greater than the vertical projection of the ledge 5 above the flange 7, and the marginal flange 13 of the lid is equal to or slightly less than the normal thickness of the gasket combined with that of the flange on which it rests, so that when the clamping devices are tightened, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower edge of the flange 13 is caused to enter the groove 12 below the top face of the horizontal portion 14 of the bracket 3, so that the inner portion of the bracket projects above and at the inner side of the lower edge of said flange 13 and locks the bracket against outward swing upon its pivot 16, thereby reducing the liability of accidental removal of the lid.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood upon reference to the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings, but particular attention is called to the construction and mounting of the clamping devices to prevent their accidental lateral displacement while in position to clamp the lid upon the box, and also to the construction of the ledge 7 and manner of mounting the gasket thereon.

What I claim is 1. In a sheet-metal burial-casket, a sheetmetal box having a marginal flange near its upper edge, a lid having a downturned flange surrounding the marginal flange of the box, a bracket pivoted to the flange on the box and having a lengthwise groove alined with the flange on the lid, and means on the bracket for drawing the lid and box-flange toward each other to force the lid-flange into the groove of the bracket.

2. In a burial-casket, a box and a lid therefor, one of the parts" having a marginal flange, a horizontally-swinging bracket pivoted to one of said parts and provided with a groove movable into and out of registration with said flange, and means on the bracket to clamp the lid to the box and to cause said flange to enter the groove to prevent horizontal swinging of the bracket when the lid is clamped in place.

6 3. A burial-casket comprising a sheetmetal box having the upper edges of its sides and ends turned outwardly and downwardly and laterally and then returned toward the body and upturned between said body and downturned portionforming horizontal ledges and vertical flanges at the inner longitudinal ledges of the edges.

4. In a burial-casket, a sheet-metal box having a horizontal outturned flange near its upper edge, a sheet-metal lid having a depending flange fltting around the outer edge of said ledge, a horizontally-swinging bracket pivoted to said ledge and extending upwardly at the outer side of and above the flange of the lid and a cam-lever pivoted to said bracket and overhanging the adjacent portion of the lid to draw the lid and ledge toward each other, said bracket having a groove receiving the lower edge of the flange of the lid when the latter is clamped upon the box.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of July, 1906.

JOHN MAXWELL.

Witnesses: WILLIAM F. MUNZ, F. H. AssooUT. 

